The one factor you’ll be able to’t say about season three of iZombie is that it lacks ambition. Tackling a world of secret zombies was loads to gas the drama for the present’s first two seasons, however in season three it blew previous native and went world because the zombie inhabitants of Seattle labored to organize for the inevitable day they had been revealed. That’s a giant story for a small present to inform in solely 13 episodes, and the season three finale displays a variety of that pressure.

The obvious place the place season three’s total arc fell down was within the plotting and pacing of the finale’s huge villain reveal. All all through the season, Fillmore Graves existed in an attention-grabbing place as each an ally to the trigger and a possible antagonist to Liv and the gang. The thought of an ally you’ll be able to’t fairly belief is a superb one, and the strain that unknowability brought about introduced a fantastic dynamic to the start of the season. The place issues began to get just a little muddled was when Vivian was murdered (in what was admittedly grand style) and Chase Graves was introduced in to take her place. It was by no means fairly clear precisely what we had been purported to make of Chase—which is usually a good factor, as ambiguity is intriguing, and Jason Dohring is nice at toeing that line between good and evil. The difficulty got here in when the period of time given to him was exponential compared to the individuals round him in an try to set him up as a grand pink herring, thus fully pushing the one who was the precise dangerous man to the background a lot that the reveal appeared to return out of nowhere.

Sure, Fillmore Graves worker Carey Gold—somebody whose face is recognizable, however I wouldn’t have been in a position to title final week—is revealed to be the chief of an inner mutiny of zombies at Fillmore Graves who needed to scrap the Zombie Island concept and put the corporate’s way more nefarious Doomsday zombie reveal plan in movement as a substitute. Carey is actually the boogeyman behind each huge factor all through the season, together with the discharge of the Aleutian flu virus, to tainting the vaccination provide a lot of Seattle was contaminated by the zombie virus, to blowing up Vivian’s aircraft, to Wally and Anna’s homicide, to establishing Harley Johns for Wally’s homicide (and possibly even giving him what he wanted to explode the zombie get together, that half was unclear). This can be a lot of weight to placed on a personality we actually know nothing about, and it’s that awkwardness that outlines the inelegance of season three’s total plot. This inelegance is made all of the extra stunning as a result of we now have loads of proof of simply how satisfying a Rob Thomas huge dangerous plot reveal might be.

The opposite frustration within the finale is one thing born of necessity: All of the emotional moments go by approach too rapidly. Liv barely will get an opportunity to fret about Main and Justin being probably blown up earlier than she’s compelled to admit to Justin about how she slept with Chase (and her insistence that the brains made her do it’s an essay-length evaluation for one more time). Main barely will get an opportunity to be unhappy about Natalie and his associates earlier than asking Chase to show him again right into a zombie once more so he can battle of their reminiscence. Dale barely will get an opportunity to react to the reveal that there are zombies in Seattle earlier than she’s was one and dyeing her hair in misery. There are such a lot of legitimate emotional moments right here, and some seconds right here or there to allow them to sink in would have been useful.

Regardless of the scattered pacing of the general season arc, and regardless of the considerably disappointing lack of time for the characters’ emotional beats to land on this episode, I used to be totally on board with the finale—proper up till the purpose that the massive zombie secret was revealed to the general public within the final act. The reveal at this level is inevitable—there’s actually no possible method to stroll again 1000’s of individuals in Seattle turning into zombies, and there’s no approach that would keep a secret for lengthy—and it’s not the concept of a mass reveal that’s the difficulty, however the way in which this reveal highlights the particular weaknesses of the season three story. The concept there’s now a major inhabitants of zombies in a serious American metropolis and the entire world is aware of about it? That’s an enormous concept, and one which in the end appears a bit too huge in scope to really feel satisfying, particularly throughout the confines of the way in which iZombie tells tales.

Take the reveal itself. It was executed by an area information anchor, and the follow-up directions to the general public got by Chase Graves as a consultant of Fillmore Graves. This is smart for the present, as a result of we all know each these characters and this world. However the metropolis of Seattle exists within the modern United States (or at the least some simulation of it) so the concept a navy contractor is actually calling the pictures, taking up the distribution of brains, and resolving armed conflicts with civilians with none nod to the precise authorities of the nation is simply bizarre. Even a zombie mayor wouldn’t be sufficient to keep away from interference from the very best ranges of presidency in such a scenario.

The apparent argument right here is that the final act is actually executed as an enormous montage, exhibiting vignettes of what occurs to town post-reveal, so there’s actually no room for a broader image. However all that does is draw a laser focus onto the primary fallibility of your entire season three zombies vs. people arc, by exhibiting that it was at all times only a bit larger than the type of tales iZombie tells greatest. Each time issues acquired complicated with the plot prior to now seasons, there have been at all times very particular character tales to latch onto to mitigate any plot issues. Past making an attempt to tug off one thing with this scope, what felt awkward because the zombie vs. human story progressed was simply how little emotional involvement it felt like Liv had within the story. All through season three as an entire, Liv’s inner life was principally shuttled to the background to make room for all the opposite tales the present needed to inform, and whereas that’s definitely a sound alternative, eradicating that facet of the present didn’t actually work for the season arc in the long term.

This does go away the present in a really attention-grabbing place for season 4, for the reason that writers now have the flexibility to choose about learn how to inform this story going ahead. Now that the proverbial cat is out of the bag, do they dig in and go broad with the implications of their new world order? Or do they hold the particulars within the background and proceed telling tales on a smaller scale? iZombie’s actual narrative candy spot is what it did in its first two seasons, discovering a method to stability bigger, extra heavily-plotted story arcs with particular emotional character beats. Season three’s ambition to develop past that scope was an admirable one which was continuously enjoyable and thrilling, however in the long run couldn’t fairly pack the finale punch of its first two seasons. If season 4 can discover a method to stability this larger zombie story with the extra character-driven plot that was lacking for a lot of season three, that will be nearly excellent.

A minimum of the finale does finish with probably the most emotionally resonant scenes of the season: Liv and Ravi saying “I like you” to one another, proper earlier than she scratches him to check if his new zombie vaccine works. For the entire totally different (and great) relationship permutations on the present, Liv and Ravi’s unshakeable friendship has been the spine of the collection for the reason that pilot, and it felt like they spent a lot much less time collectively all through the season. To finish it on such a stunning notice with them collectively—scary cliffhanger and all—is a superb nod to how essential that relationship is to the present. (However for actual, iZombie, in case you flip Ravi right into a zombie we’re in a battle. A battle!)

Stray observations:

So, did we by no means study who really stole the treatment, did we? Or did I neglect amidst the onslaught of plot?

Random scene that feels prefer it could be essential later or bizarre misdirection: Blaine tries to set himself up as Fillmore Graves’ mind provider, however Chase passes—and throughout the scene, Main is cautious to not let Chase know that he is aware of Blaine. I nonetheless can’t determine this one out.

Now that Liv and Main are each zombies, can they simply be collectively within the background to allow them to have season 4 tales that don’t revolve round a romantic relationship for both of them? (Though admittedly I did like that the very last thing Chase does within the episode is praise Liv, regardless of the whole lot that occurred between them. He likes her a lot and it warms me. Cease me like that.)

Peyton as Mayor Baracus’ Chief of Workers feels proper, and I like that it ties her to the zombie tales with out saddling her to what Clive and Liv are doing with their circumstances. I actually need Peyton to get a superb story in season 4.

This finale’s ‘80s music choice is “Expensive God” by XTC! Prompted by Liv’s “Expensive God” line of dialogue! Very satisfying, even when the chase it scored wasn’t all that thrilling.

It’s very satisfying when the present takes little issues and makes them extraordinarily essential later, like how Clive being overly involved about flu germs within the earlier episode’s interrogation scenes units up him being in step with Dale to take the vaccine.

Different little factor I beloved: the choreographer brain-assisted group dance at The Scratching Put up, full with Don E’s delight and Blaine’s disgust over the entire thing. The writers are so, so good at these moments.